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question about progress

santiagojorgem
santiagojorgem Posts: 102
in Health and Weight Loss
is it normal to not lose weight for a week or 2 even though i'm running at a calorie deficit

just a rundown of what i do

i lift 4 days a week for about an hour and do cardio for 40 minutes 3-4 times a week as well

could i just be gaining muscle and losing fat? i haven't taken any measurements as of yet but i know i should as another way of tracking progress, either way thanks for your help

Replies

  • Kalici
    Kalici Posts: 685 Member
    It can be completely normal. You could also be retaining water that is masking weight loss. It could be because you're doing a new exercise routine or pushing harder and your muscles are repairing. It is however, nearly impossible to build muscle while in a calorie deficit (which sucks).
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    Completely normal - weight loss isn't linear. I'm eating at a deficit, training hard, and GAINED 2 lbs this week. It's normal fluctuations predominantly caused by water retention. If you haven't lost any weight, ON AVERAGE, over the past month then you might want to reevaluate and tweak your intake.

    And no, you're not gaining muscle if you're truly eating at a deficit (not likely an appreciable amount, anyways).
  • santiagojorgem
    santiagojorgem Posts: 102
    thank you for your thoughts, i've lost 23 lbs over the last 8 weeks just found it curious that this past week i didn't lose anything, 'll just keep on keeping on
  • KhatLady
    KhatLady Posts: 51 Member
    thank you for your thoughts, i've lost 23 lbs over the last 8 weeks just found it curious that this past week i didn't lose anything, 'll just keep on keeping on

    Make sure you've rechecked your calorie goals, they should be readjusted after losing significant amounts of weight. Some say every 5lbs, some say 10.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    How would you know the different between muscle gain and fat loss from a tape measure. You would also need to get a skinfold test just to have some measurement to go off of for fat loss
  • santiagojorgem
    santiagojorgem Posts: 102
    MFP has been doing that automatically but i may want to check how many of my calories should be consumed from fat, carbs and so on
  • santiagojorgem
    santiagojorgem Posts: 102
    i read somewhere its smart to tape your arms, chest and legs to check progress
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    thank you for your thoughts, i've lost 23 lbs over the last 8 weeks just found it curious that this past week i didn't lose anything, 'll just keep on keeping on

    given that you only have 40lbs to lose, you may want to eat a little more so that you're not in such a massive deficit.

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